Card holder



April 29, 1958 H. w. HQUGHTON I 2,832,350

CARD HOLDER a, Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed OCt. 19, 1954 v INVENTOR. 947 W270 ugh/ta 11/ 7,

April 1953 H. w. HOUGHTON 2,832,350

CARD HOLDER Filed Oct. '19. 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. flaw y WHa'uy/zt an United States Patent CARD HOLDER Harry W. Houghton, Waynesboro, Va., assignor to Acme Visible Records, Inca, Crozet, Va., a corporation of Delaware Application October 19, 1954, Serial No. 463,263

3 Claims. (Cl. 129-l6) This invention relates to holders for conventional visible index or record cards of the type provided with spaced tabs for sliding engagement with card carriers or runways of visible index equipment.

To produce duplicate sets of records, the cards are arranged in sets and photographed, the photograph being used in making a plate for printing sheet for duplicate record books. it is an object of the present invention to provide a card holder on which the record cards may be mounted in taking a photograph of the data on the cards.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a card holder in which the cards are slidably mounted on runways detacably mounted in fixed spaced parallel relationship upon a panel.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a card holder in which the runways and cards thereon may be quickly mounted on or removed from the panel.

The invention embodies other novel features, details of construction and arrangement of parts which are here inafter set forth in the specification and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view illustrating a card holder embodying features of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of same.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, transverse sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the card holder with the end retainer members removed therefrom.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, longitudinal sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating the manner in which a blank of sheet metal is cut and folded to form the base of the card holder structure.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a conventional record card.

Referring now to the drawing for a better understand ing of the invention, the card holder is shown as comprising a panel 6 adapted to be formed from a blank '7 or sheet metal, such as aluminum.

As illustrated in Fig. 6, the ends of. the panel blank 7 are formed with notches or recesses 8 and are bent inwardly along bend lines 99 to provide flanges ill-10 overlying the body 11 of the blank, whereby the notches at one end of the panel will be opposed to the notches at the other end of the panel. The sides of the blank are folded inwardly along the bend lines 12-12 to provide side. rails 13-13 having coplanar flat upper surfaces spaced above the plane of the body 2'11.

The panel 6 is provided with a plurality of spaced, parallel, intermediate rails 14 extending between and abutting the flanges Ill-10. The tails are preferably blanked and formed from sheet metal, such as aluminum, and each rail is shown as comprising a flat wall 16 supported by side webs 12-17 having flanges l8-18 there on for spot welded engagement with the body 11 of the panel.

One end of the panel bcdy ii and the flange 10 thereon are embraced by and spot-welded to a fixed runway retainer 19 of channel section. the upper leg 21 of the retainer having a flange 22 offset upwardly therefrom to overlie the adjacent ends of the rails 13 and 14 and the adjacent ends of card runways 2/7.

The other end of the panel body 11 and the flange 10 thereon are adapted to be embraced within a movable runway retainer 24 having an upper leg 25 carrying a flange 26 adapted to overlie the ends of the. rails and runways 27 adjacent thereto, the retainer being hingedly connected to the panel 6 by means of a rivet 28 for pivotal movement toward and away from the panel.

Each runway 2'7 is shown as blanked and formed from sheet metal, such as aluminum, to provide a flat, elongated base 29, side walls 3131 and flanges 32--32, the base projecting beyond the ends of the side walls and flanges to form tongues 33-53 for engagement in the recesses 53 provided in the flanges lit-1.9.

The upper surfaces of the side rails 13, intermediate rails 14 and runway flanges 32 are disposed in a common plane to support conventional record cards 34 in a flat coplanar arrangement. As illustrated in Fig. 7 the record card 34 is formed of sheet material, such as cardboard, and slit or cut to provide spaced tabs 36-36 for engage ment under the flanges 3232 of a runway 27.

In the use of the card holder thus shown and described, it will be noted that the runways 2'7, with record cards 34, may be quickly mounted on or removed from the panel 6 during photographing of the cards when the movable runway retainer 24 is pivoted away from the panel 6, and that the runway retainers coact with the panel to secure the runways against displacement when the movable runway 24 is pivoted into position to embrace the end of the panel and the tongues 33 of the runways.

The runway retainer flanges 22 and 26 are preferably spaced above the runway flanges 32 to receive the edge portions of record cards therebetween for abutting engagement against the shoulders formed at the juncture of the retainer flanges and their respective legs 21 and 25, whereby the cards are aligned transversely of the runways.

While this invention has been shown in but one form, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention.

I claim:

1. In a record card holder, a flat panel having inturned end flanges in flat surface engagement. therewith and formed with opposed recesses, spaced card supporting rails on said panel on opposite sides of said recesses and extending between said end flanges, a card runway extending between said end flanges and having tongues coplanar with the end flanges and engaged in said recesses against movement longitudinally and transversely of the panel, and runway retainers of channel section straddling the ends of said panel and said tongues to secure the runway against displacement from and movement relative to the panel, one of said runway retainers being pivotally connected to said panel for movement away from and in a plane parallel to its related runway tongue.

2. In a record card holder, a flat panel having inturned end flanges in flat surface engagement therewith and formed with opposed recesses, spaced card supporting rails on said panel on opposite sides of said recesses and extending between said end flanges, a card runway extending between said end flanges and having tongues coplanar with the end flanges and engaged in said recesses against movement longitudinally and transversely of the panel, and runway retainers of channel section straddling the ends of said panel and said tongues to secure the run- Q} way against displacement from and movement relative to the panel, one of said runway retainers being pivotally connected to said panel for movement away from and in a plane parallel to its related runway tongue, said runway having side flanges for engagement with tabs of a record card.

3. In a record card holder, at flat panel having inturned end flanges in flat surface engagement therewith and formed with opposed recesses, spaced card supporting rails on said panel on opposite sides of said recesses and extending between said end flanges, a card runway extending between said end flanges and having tongues coplanar with the end flanges and engaged in said recesses against movement lon itudinally and transversely of the panel, and runway retainers of channel section straddling the ends of said panel and said tongues to secure the run- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 875,090 Meltzer et al. Dec. 31, i907 2,093,940 Straubel Sept. 21, 1937 2,635,607 Gunn Apr. 2], 1953 

